


Trials and Tribulations

by traitorhero



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Bruises and the consequences thereof, Dragon Age Kink Meme, F/M, Injury, Massage kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-13
Updated: 2015-03-13
Packaged: 2018-03-17 17:32:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3538103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/traitorhero/pseuds/traitorhero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dragons were never one of the Inquisitor's favorite foes to fight. She's less happy about the consequences that come with it.</p>
<p>or: </p>
<p>The Inquisitor's no good, very bad day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trials and Tribulations

Judith got out of bed slowly, her palms reaching skyward as she stretched. Her back spasmed, and she gritted her teeth. They had only just gotten back from the Exalted Plains the day before, and she had been looking forward to sleeping in the Free Marches styled bed she had bought in Orlais. Unfortunately, the bed hadn’t yet arrived, and the bed that had been in her room had already been taken to the visiting nobles quarters. Josephine had been frantic with worry, but Judith had waved away her concerns, just asking for a soldier’s cot to be brought up. It would only be for a few days, and it wasn’t as if it would hurt her too much to rough it.

She had managed to keep her mouth shut while on the road, but safe in her own room, Judith let out a groan and collapsed forward, bracing her elbows on her knees. There hadn’t been any way to tell, but after Josephine had left she had stripped and propped a mirror on her desk to examine her back. The dark purple bruise that stretched from her hip to her left shoulder wasn’t pretty, but the green edges indicated that it was well on its way to healing, and after fighting a dragon, she was thankful that the worst injury she had gotten was a bruise. Bull had a gash that ran the length of his tricep, and had only aggravated the wound, and Sera had been a little woozy after the dragon had drawn her from her perch as it buffeted the air with it’s wings. Solas had had his hands full keeping both of them alive as she flitted between the beast’s legs, her daggers sinking into skin and muscle wherever she could find purchase. 

Sighing, Judith forced the fight from her mind and forced herself to stand, stumbling towards her desk, where her mirror was still propped from the night before. She examined herself in the glass, noting that her hair needed to be redone. She carefully took out the pins that kept the, according to Cassandra, ridiculous amount of hair, close to her head, closing her eyes as she ran her fingers through her auburn locks. As she reached the ends of her now shoulder length hair she stopped, her fingers touching brittle and stiff hair. Judith opened her eyes and moved closer to the mirror, ignoring the pain as she bent closer to inspect the hair reflected in it. 

The ends were singed, unnoticeable when pinned. Judith felt a groan rumble out of her chest as she stood again, her back yet again protesting the movement. Already she could hear Vivienne’s lecture about keeping up appearances, and she reached for the pins she had set on the desk. As she grabbed for them they rolled, dropping onto the floor and scattering. Judith swore under her breath, her palms slapping against the wood. If she bent down to get them she doubted that she would be able to get back up, and she had no desire to have Josephine, Leliana, or, Maker-forbid, Cullen come up and find her hours later sleeping on the rug like a child.

Judith walked around and pulled out one of the drawers, taking out a pile of reports that had been tied together with a length of leather. While not the perfect solution, the leather tie would work to keep her hair up and out of her face until she could cut off the singed pieces and gather up her dropped pins. She reached up to the silken straps that held her nightgown up and shifted them down her arms, letting the material fall to the floor as she stepped towards her closet. 

She opened the door and pulled out the usual outfit she wore in Skyhold, but paused when she noticed the rip around the inseam. It wasn’t too large, but it was far beyond her skill with a needle to repair. Cullen and she had been a little too eager the last time they had been together, and she had forgotten to send the trousers to the seamstress before she left. She sighed and put the garment back, contemplating the other options in her wardrobe. Most of them were too fancy for a normal day at Skyhold, especially since she hadn’t been told that there was anything that required the personal attention of the Inquisitor. She was sure that would change as people heard that she had returned. Judith pulled out a simple tunic and pant set emblazoned with the Inquisition’s symbol, barely recognizing the outfit. Threnn had given it to her to wear as they had marched to Skyhold, giving her something to wear outside of her armor.

Judith put the outfit on carefully, mindful of any twinges from her back. The hood attached to the tunic was a welcome addition, and she pulled it over her head, hiding the blackened edges of her hair. She went and looked into the small mirror, adjusting the hood so that it covered her hair nicely, before turning and looking for where she had tossed her boots. She looked at where they had fallen, mud flaking off of them onto the floor, and decided to use one of the other pairs that Josephine had given her. It was a bit of work to slip her feet into the new leather without bending over, but Judith managed it. The boots were stiffer than she was used to, but she shunted the concern away and headed down to the main hall.

She hadn’t been paying too much attention to the angle of the sun while she was in her room, but judging by the sunlight falling through the painted glass, it was well past the noon hour. Judith grimaced, knowing that Josephine had probably allowed her to sleep in, knowing that she was tired from the trip to the Exalted Plains. Straightening her shoulders, she went to the door one down from hers and entered the ambassador’s chambers, unsurprised to see Josephine bent over her desk, her quill flying across the page in front of her.

“Oh, good, you’re here,” Josephine said, not even looking up as Judith approached her. “I need these delivered to Iron Bull and Commander Cullen as soon as possible.”

Judith took the papers that Josephine held out to her, slightly confused by the way the ambassador was treating her. When Josephine waved her away, Judith turned and left the room, closing the door behind her. Perhaps Josephine hadn’t meant for her to oversleep, and was sending her on this errand as a form of punishment? Judith struck the thought from her mind as soon as it entered, knowing the Antivan woman was much too kind to do something like that. She ran the conversation through her mind again, a small smile coming to her face as she realized the ambassador had given her the perfect excuse to visit Cullen. While their relationship was anything but secret, she and her commander had been discreet in their relationship, which meant they didn’t see each other as much as they would have liked. Josephine must have known that she hadn’t seen him yesterday when she had arrived, and was being a friend.

A small smile crossing her face, Judith walked out of the main hall, barely dodging an Inquisition soldier who was rushing in. As she walked down the steps she couldn’t help but look out over Skyhold. It had been a lot of work to get everything in working order, but to look at no one would be able to tell that the castle and keep had been falling to ruin a mere six months ago. At least, as long as they didn’t go into some of the rooms, she amended to herself. 

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, her foot caught the last step and she fell forward, the piles of papers falling into a puddle. Judith scrambled to rescue them from their watery demise, ignoring the way that her back protested the motion. She shook the bundles of paper in the hopes of drying them, but sighed as she saw the running ink. A few of the recruits had stopped to watch her, but went back to their drills as she got to her feet. It wouldn’t do to give Bull and Cullen reports with running ink, and Judith turned to return to Josephine. She stopped, looking at the reports, and her gaze went to the armory. Cassandra had been working on reports there the other day. Judith bit her lip, then walked to the armory.

Mounting the steps to the second floor was harder than she expected, but she managed it. Cassandra’s writing station was still there, for which she was eternally grateful. Sinking into the chair, she began to copy the reports as best she could. Most of the top pages had been spared the soaking, but the last pages of each report required her to divine what some of the words meant. She was fairly sure that Knight-Captain Rylan was not requesting thirty-odd neat swards, but thirty-sodd new swords. As she continued her work she heard a commotion in the courtyard, and looked out the window. Cullen was barking at another group of recruits, and she felt the edges of her mouth twitch up. The light had faded somewhat, and the grumble in her stomach reminded Judith that she hadn’t eaten yet that day.

She pushed the thought to the back of her mind as she set the sodden pages apart from their re-written counterparts and started on the report for Bull. The first few pages went on about the destruction of Adamant Fortress, and she found herself reading the pages intently. It was doubtless to come up when they next met at the War Table, and it always paid off to know what Josephine was going to bring up. The last few pages were soaked even worse than those of Cullen’s, but the heat in the armory had stopped the ink from running until the report was unreadable. She dipped her quill in the inkwell again and began copying Josephine’s acceptance of the higher pay for the Chargers. It was a good investment, Judith knew, and it wasn’t as if the Inquisition was strapped for coin like they had been in Haven.

Finishing the rewrite, Judith stoppered the inkwell and set the quill aside to dry. The leather that had held the reports together was in well enough shape to retie around them, and Judith gathered the formerly sodden pages into a pile, tucking the new pages under her arm. The metalworkers of the armory had left awhile ago, but had left the fire going in the furnace. It was short work to toss the old pages into the fire and stoke it until they were ash. Judith set the poker aside, her back popping as she stood straight for the first time in a few hours. The ache from the bruise was still there, but had lessened as her muscles had warmed up from sleep.

Walking from the armory to the Herald’s Rest, Judith glanced over to the training dummies that Cassandra usually frequented. When she didn’t see the other woman she made a note to talk to her when next their paths crossed. It wouldn’t do for her to find that someone had taken her writing materials. Knowing the Seeker, she would probably blame Varric, even though the two of them had been getting along better as of late. 

Judith smirked to herself as she entered the Herald’s Rest, her eyes going to where Bull usually had his seat. It was empty, which was surprising given that it wasn’t too late yet. Even Krem wasn’t in his customary chair, which meant that she couldn’t drop the report off with him. She rolled her neck and shoulders before turning and leaving the tavern, a little pit of annoyance building in her chest. She would have to return to give Bull his report, rather than spending the rest of the day with Cullen as she had planned. 

As she stepped outside, she heard the sounds of horses on cobblestone, and rushed to see what was going on. A few soldiers had mounted horses, Cullen standing at the front and giving them orders. Judith felt her shoulders slump as he mounted a horse, obviously meaning to head out with his men. She walked away, heading to the stairs that led to the battlements and his office. It would be relatively safe to leave the reports on his desk, she reasoned. Perhaps she could leave Bull’s with him as well. He would make sure that it got to him, and there was nothing too sensitive in the report.  
Entering his office, Judith looked at the piles of paper that covered his desk, and frowned. While Cullen kept his armor in good condition, she had found that he was less than organized with the papers and books that littered his office. How he managed to find and keep everything in some semblance of order that made sense to him was beyond her. The front of his desk was relatively empty, and she placed both of the reports there. As she turned to leave, she thought better of it, walking around his desk and pulling a piece of paper and quill from his drawer. She scribbled a note asking him to give the second report to Bull and signed it, placing it on top of the reports. Job done, she walked towards the door that would lead her to Solas’ solar, and then to her room. If Josephine asked tomorrow, she could claim that she spent the entire day abed, recovering from the trip.

The door opened as she reached for it, and Cullen almost barged into her as he entered. He looked taken aback at seeing her, his hand clamping on her left shoulder. She winced, but before she could say anything he was marching her backwards until her hip hit the edge of his desk. This time she hissed in pain, her hand coming up to bat away the arm that kept a grip on her shoulder. His hand caught hers, making her growl in frustration.

“Who sent you?” he asked, his voice hitting the timbre that usually turned her knees to water. However, she was too pissed to allow herself to let that get to her.

“By the Void, Cullen, what are you on about?” she asked.

At the sound of her voice, Cullen let go of her and backed away. His face flushed red as she adjusted her tunic, making sure that her hair was still hidden by the hood. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it, turning around to the door. Before he could leave, he turned back to her, stepping forward again and raising his hand to cup her face. Judith let him, trying to convey her confusion through her expression alone. A small smile, one she recognized from when he was laughing at something he found funny, crossed his lips as he let his thumb stroke across her cheekbone.

“Why are you wearing an Inquisition uniform?” he asked. Judith rolled her eyes and reached up to tug her hood down, revealing her hair.

“The dragon got the last laugh,” she replied, tugging her ponytail around to show the singed ends. Cullen chuckled, his fingers combing through the dead hair. 

“That doesn’t really explain everything.”

Judith felt her cheeks warm, and turned her face away from his. He grabbed her chin and turned it back, his eyes meeting hers.

“I forgot to get my trousers repaired,” she admitted. Cullen’s breath hitched and his pupils dilated, obviously remembering how they got to that condition. “And I needed something easy to wear.”

“Easy to wear?” he said. Judith bit her lip, wishing that he had missed the last part of what she had said.

“Just a bruise,” she told him. He raised an eyebrow.

“Let me see.”

“I can’t,” she said. His forehead crinkled, and she let her head fall forward to rest on his armor. His arms folded around her, one crossing her back. She couldn’t help but flinch when he pressed her against him, and he loosened his grip immediately. He pulled back slightly, his hands going to the sides of her tunic and lifting it up. Judith lifted her arms to help him, and didn’t complain when he turned her around. He let out a small groan as he took in the state of her back, and tugged her back to face him.

“Go upstairs,” he told her. Judith snorted at his bluntness, which made him flush. He rolled his eyes and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Maker’s Breath, you’re impossible,” he said, stepping away from her.

“So everyone seems to say,” she replied, grabbing the tunic and dropping it over her shoulder. As Cullen turned to leave, she grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. She went over to the desk, separating the reports and handing Bull’s to him. “I was supposed to bring this to Bull, she told him. “Would you mind giving it to him for me?”

If anything, the report seemed to make that expression that meant he knew something she didn’t come back. 

“Of course, Inquisitor,” he said, taking the papers with a short bow.

Judith shook her head as he left. She eyed the ladder and took a deep breath, steeling herself for the climb. Reaching the top, she tossed the tunic towards Cullen’s armor rack and went to sit on his bed. She reached down and began to pull off her boots, and let out a curse when she saw the blisters that the new boots had left on her foot. She quickly took off the second and shimmied up the bed against Cullen’s pillows. Judith turned on her stomach and buried her face in the pillow, debating whether or not to take off her trousers. 

The door opened and closed below, and she heard Cullen coming up the ladder. He let out a low chuckle as he reached the top, and she heard him walk over to his armor stand. She let the sounds of him taking off his armor lull her into a meditative state, somewhere between true sleep and wakefulness. Judith heard a chest open and close before his feet padded over to the bed. The cushion sank in as he sat next to, a hand skimming across her back. She hummed in contentment, hugging the pillow closer to her chest.

“Are you still awake?” he asked, his breath tickling her ear. Judith shivered and nodded, opening her eyes. “I’ve got some bruise balm and I’m going to apply it to your back, okay?”

“Sounds lovely,” she replied. Closing her eyes again, she felt the bed dip again on either side of her hips as Cullen knelt above her. She resisted the urge to lift her hips up against him as she heard him open the jar. A hand, covered in balm, stroked down her back with barely any pressure behind it. 

“How did you manage to get this?”

“Dragon’s tail,” she muttered. “Barrier took the brunt of it.”

“I should hope so,” he replied. He increased the pressure as he applied the balm, working out the knots that had built up under the bruise. Judith felt her leg jump as he pressed his fingers into her shoulder with just enough force to make the muscle relax without inflaming the bruise. “I still worry about you taking on dragons.”

“Someone’s got to,” she said. He pulled away, his fingers stroking down the sides of her breast band. He unwound it, forcing her to push up and allow him to take it all the way off. She nestled against the pillow again, trying to ignore the heat that had begun to pool in her gut. His palms framed her spine, his thumbs pushing into her muscles and coaxing them to relax. Judith grunted as his fingers pushed the bruise. 

“And that someone was you,” Cullen said, his words whispered against the spot he had unintentionally hurt. Judith tensed at the heat of his breath against her back and almost groaned when he pulled away.  
His hands went lower, before leaving her skin. Judith shivered at their absence, but they returned quickly, smoothing more of the bruise balm over her lower back. She looked over her shoulder, careful not to disturb Cullen. He continued in his ministrations, pressing carefully into her bruised skin with his fingers. Watching him, the heat that had built in her abdomen moved lower. Cullen looked up at her, his knees tightening around her thighs from whatever he saw in her gaze.

“Feeling better?” he asked, his hands running up her back. Judith nodded as he stretched above her, the heat of his body the perfect antithesis of the balm he had spread across her back. She lifted her hips and ground her ass against him, smirking when she felt his arousal.

“Very much so,” she said. Pushing herself up, she melded her body against his and kissed him. He groaned into her mouth, his hands settling possessively on her hips. She pulled away slowly, watching as his eyes fluttered open to meet hers.

“I hadn’t meant to seduce you tonight,” he murmured. Cullen moved, sitting back on his heels and settling her on his lap. Judith rested her neck against his shoulder, pressing her lips gently against his chin as he fumbled with the tie of her trousers. 

“You hadn’t?” she asked, lifting her hips to help him remove them. “A rousing - ah-,”

Her words cut off as his hand reached down between her thighs. He pressed the palm of his hand against her and she couldn’t stop the way her hips rolled against it. Cullen chuckled and turned his head to press a kiss against her temple. 

“Arousing what, I wonder?”

Judith hissed as he slipped a finger inside her smallclothes. She pushed herself against him, her hands finding purchase on his thighs. Cullen’s other hand pushed against the simple fabric of her underclothes, sliding them down her thighs until they caught at her knees.

“Failure, Commander,” she said, her fingers tracing up his leather clad thighs. His muscles jumped as she trailed over them, making her lips quirk up in a grin. Cullen growled as she tried to untie them, his hands abandoning her as he moved to undo his breeches. Judith moved from his lap as he took off them off, shucking her smalls as he did the same. Before he had time to adjust, she straddled his lap.

“I’ll have to work harder then, Inquisitor,” Cullen said. 

Judith hummed her agreement, a hand trailing down his chest while her other grasped his cock. He leaned down to capture her mouth in a kiss as she stroked him, a hand pressing against the back of her neck. She tilted her head, letting him kiss the column of her throat. He moved his hand down to cradle her back, forcing her to lean backwards. Judith looked down, her rhythm stuttering as he circled her nipple with his tongue. He repeated the motion on her other breast, before moving lower. 

Cullen moved her so that she was laying on his bed, her head propped on the pillow she had been clutching earlier. Smirking, he leaned down, pressing a kiss to his hip. He kept his eyes locked with hers as he moved lower, the stubble of his cheek rasping against her inner thigh. Judith closed her eyes as his tongue caressed her, her hands fisting in his sheets. She could feel him smiling, even as he circled her clit with his tongue. Her back arched up, only to make her fall back to the bed with a curse.

“Are you okay?” Cullen asked, pulling away from her. Judith shook her head, tears pressing out of her closed eyes. Cullen moved up the bed, his hands touching her hesitantly as he waited for her to answer him.

“My back,” she managed to bite out. He moved closer at her admission, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back against him. Judith sighed as he brushed her ponytail away from the nape of her neck and kissed her neck.

“My apologies, I didn’t mean to-”

“Not your fault. Killed the dragon who did it,” Judith told him. He chuckled, his hot breath on the back of her neck reigniting the feelings that had been cut off by the pain of her back. She could feel his cock against her back, still hard despite the shock she had put him through. Cullen didn’t say anything as she rolled to face him, simply adjusting his arms so that they rested lightly against her back.  
He looked surprised when she forced him onto his back, his hands falling to her hips on instinct. Judith leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips, her hands coming up to frame his face. Cullen groaned, a hand reaching up to pull her back down to him as she pulled away. He deepened the kiss, and she hummed as his fingers tightened on her hip.

“Cullen,” she whimpered, a hand reaching down between him to his cock. He closed his eyes as she slid her hand down his shaft a few times, the hand he had placed on her neck falling to grip the sheets.

“Maker’s Breath, Judith,” he gasped. She continued to stroke him, enjoying the red flush that spread across his chest. He opened his eyes, his pupils blown wide with his arousal. “Are you sure-”

“Cullen,” she said, pressing a kiss to his lips to silence him. “I need you.”

He groaned at her words. Judith smiled, pressing another kiss to the corner of his lips. Taking his cock in her hand, she sank onto it. A moan tumbled out of her throat as her hips met his, almost loud enough that she didn’t hear Cullen’s answering groan. Her hips rocked forward as he began to thrust, quickly finding a rhythm that matched his. 

“Oh, fuck,” she hissed, collapsing forward onto him and letting him take control. Cullen murmured his agreement into her shoulder, punctuating it with a small kiss. The hand on her hip moved to her ass, kneading it softly as his other snuck between their bodies to tease her clit. Judith bit his shoulder lightly in retaliation, making him laugh. Her thighs tightened around Cullen’s, and she couldn’t help the small cry she gave as she came. She shuddered in his arms as he continued to thrust into her, the motion keeping her on the edge of pleasure. He buried his face in her shoulder, muffling his groan as his hips bucked twice more and a new heat filled her. 

Judith moved off of his chest, curling herself along his side. A satisfied ache permeated her body, the humming energy giving way to a bonelessness that she hadn’t felt earlier. Cullen moved, rolling off the bed. A few seconds later she felt a cloth hit her skin, and lifted herself up, reaching down to help him clean up. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and moved away again, letting her lay back down.  
Judith opened her eyes, watching as he went over to his chest and grabbed a two shirts. He turned around, and seeing her eyes on him, grinned and tossed her the other shirt. Grumbling, she pulled it on and flipped onto her side, reaching out an arm to him. He took her hand in his, pressing a kiss to her knuckles as he re-entered the bed, pulling the covers up and over them both. Judith snuggled into his side, a smile on her lips as she drifted off to sleep with his heartbeat in her ear.


End file.
